I have really enjoyed running 1×10 for the last 18 months or so. Sometimes just a little more at either end would be handy, you know a little more spin at the low end for easier control of power going up steep, slow, loose, tight climbs, and a little more speed at the high end for those times you spin out. No biggie though as everything is a compromise and overall I’m lovin my 1×10 drivetrain – and with the combo of the XTR shifter and XTR Shadown Plus mech it runs sweet as.
A wider range 10 speed cassette might be cool though and a while back Hope showed off its 9-36 10 speed cassette, I lost track if anything ever came of it . Recently news of SRAM’s 1×11 started to appear on the internet, and today it’s all over the web with the official release and a first look at the 1×11 drivetrain posted on Pinkbike. SRAM have gone way more than ‘just a little more at either end’ with the XX1 being 11 speed with a 10-42 cassette. It looks pretty cool and will probably cost a packet. Doesn’t look like anything is compatible with existing stuff.
It’s great to see it out there, 1x drivetrains are super fun IMO. I’m kinda hoping Shimano will respond with something a little less than XX1’s 10-42 11 speed but more than the existing 10-36 10 speed. Fun times!
It’s sort of disappointing that Hope and the Canfield Brothers 9T system has been superseeded by the big names. I am running X01 at the moment but I’ll be very interested to try the Shimano 11 speed to see if it runs a bit smoother and is easier to keep adjusted.
I’d like to try the Shimano 11 speed sometime too. If I were to upgrade my 1×10 drivetrain that’s probably the most likely option for me, though I’d wait for it to trickle down to XT.